The Mental Health Bill (2025) for England and Wales: professional and carer consensus statement summarising concerns and unintended consequences from proposed changes to autism and learning disability
Beazley, Peter Alexander, Regi T. Taylor, John L. Velani, Bharat Dewson, Helen Shankar, Rohit Tromans, Samuel J. Odiyoor, Mahesh M. Hassiotis, Angela Roy, Ashok
Beazley, Peter
Alexander, Regi T.
Taylor, John L.
Velani, Bharat
Dewson, Helen
Shankar, Rohit
Tromans, Samuel J.
Odiyoor, Mahesh M.
Hassiotis, Angela
Roy, Ashok
Abstract
The Mental Health Bill, 2025, proposes to remove autism and learning disability from the scope of Section 3 of the Mental Health Act, 1983 (MHA). The present article represents a professional and carer consensus statement that raises concerns and identifies probable unintended consequences if this proposal becomes law. Our concerns relate to the lack of clear mandate for such proposals, conceptual inconsistency when considering other conditions that might give rise to a need for detention and the inconsistency in applying such changes to Part II of the MHA but not Part III. If the proposed changes become law, we anticipate that detentions would instead occur under the less safeguarded Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards framework, and that unmanaged risks will eventuate in behavioural consequences that will lead to more autistic people or those with a learning disability being sent to prison. Additionally, there is a concern that the proposed definitional breadth of autism and learning disability gives rise to a risk that people with other conditions may unintentionally be unable to be detained. We strongly urge the UK Parliament to amend this portion of the Bill prior to it becoming law.
MIDER Authors
Affiliations
Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust and other affiliations
Date
2025-07-01
Type
Article
Subject
Collections
Citation
Beazley P, Alexander RT, Taylor JL, et al. The Mental Health Bill (2025) for England and Wales: professional and carer consensus statement summarising concerns and unintended consequences from proposed changes to autism and learning disability. The British Journal of Psychiatry. 2026;228(4):367-372. doi:10.1192/bjp.2025.10324